EVENTS
Rodeo Livestock Contractor
Elra Beutler, born in 1897 on the family homestead near Okarche, Oklahoma Territory, learned to cowboy on the family ranch near Elk City. In 1929, with his brothers Lynn and Jake, Elra founded the nation’s largest and most respected rodeo stock company, Beutler Brothers.
The Beutlers had a good eye for rough stock; they expanded the string and branched out across Oklahoma. Beutlers’ stock was a cowboy’s nightmare. Speck, a Brahma bull, was ridden only once in 103 tries over five years. Their bucking string included Tom Dooley, Wild Bill, and Sam Bass. Always spectacular, Beutler rodeos featured grand entries with matched white horses and colorful riders.
In 1952 Beutler Brothers bought out producer Verne Elliott, and the nation became their market. Elra bought out his brothers in 1954 and partnered with Buster Morgan in Beutler and Morgan Rodeo Producers. Later Morgan sold out, and Elra and his son, Jiggs, formed Beutler and Son Rodeo Company. Eventually, three generations of the family operated the company. Cowboys’ respect and admiration for Beutler was summed up by rodeo announcer Clem McSpadden: “Ever since I can remember, Elra Beutler has been the only person called ‘Boss Man’ by the other cowboys in the rodeo.” Elra Beutler died in 1987.
